


Strength of Heart | Commission for lesterderosso (Tumblr)

by Avistella



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25562431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Dirsteh gets injured in Silas' place, and he blames himself for his failures.
Relationships: Silas/Original Character, Silas/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran
Kudos: 4





	Strength of Heart | Commission for lesterderosso (Tumblr)

**Author's Note:**

> Writing commission for [lesterderosso at Tumblr](https://lesterderosso.tumblr.com/). Dirsteh belongs to her.

It's been quite some time since Dirsteh was first summoned to Askr. A lot of things have happened since then, yet the battles remain a constant part of her every day life. The battlefield is an all too familiar place, and this current battle is no different from the ones she and the Order of Heroes have fought before.

Although she may possess doubts about her abilities to lead and the like, Dirsteh has complete faith in all of the Heroes and their commitment to the cause of helping Askr and the Order of Heroes. Putting her trust in everybody's training, Dirsteh's eyes search the area and naturally fall upon Silas. Even if she tries to keep her feelings for the knight in check when on the battlefield, she can't help but instinctively seek him out.

The Summoner finds Dirsteh a fair distance away. He seems to be struggling against a tome user, and her heart drops to her stomach. He's fallen off from his horse, having been caught off-guard and taken too much damage. Dirsteh notices the mage in the middle of an incantation, ready to strike, and it appears as though Silas has no way of dodging it. He can only hope to brace himself for the upcoming attack, but Dirsteh knows that he won't be able to take it.

She moves without so much of a second thought. She shouldn't have left her post, but her body was already moving towards where Silas was, seemingly ready to accept his fate.

Despite everything he's been through, the idea of death is still a terrifying thing. Silas shuts his eyes, afraid of witnessing the moment of his crushing defeat. The air crackles with energy from the mage's spell aimed towards him. He doesn't know why, but he finds himself waiting with bated breath for when the attack finally hits him.

...But it never comes.

Instead, he hears a familiar voice call out his name. It sounds so close when it _shouldn't be_ , and Silas' eyes shoot wide open. He was so afraid of the pain that he anticipated to be coming, but he's met with something far worse than he could have ever imagined.

By pure luck, Dirsteh manages to make it to Silas on time, but with no way of defending or attacking, she has no choice but to take the mage's spell directly. Silas watches with pure shock and horror painted across his features as Dirsteh's body falls before his eyes. His blood runs cold, and for a moment, he can't think.

All he can do is stare at the Summoner's body lying on the ground in front of him, blood seeping from her wound and staining her clothes and earth underneath. It's the only thing he can see, everything else around him becoming nothing more than just a blur. His breathing is laboured as if he forgot how to do so, and his entire being _trembles_ with a feeling he can't describe.

The cries of his allies finally break him out of his stupor. He snaps himself back to the present, determination setting into his features as he quickly makes his way towards Dirsteh. He tries to be careful with her, attempting to inspect and tend to her wound without jostling her too much, but he can't stop himself from shaking.

The other Heroes, having seen their beloved Summoner go down, immediately rush over to the couple's aid. Adrenaline pumps throughout all of them, and they successfully finish the battle without any other casualty; however, they don't have time to catch their breaths. Everybody crowds around Silas and Dirsteh, and it's an overwhelming situation.

"I'm going to bring her back to the castle," he tells the others as he stands back up, gingerly picking up Dirsteh along with him. Her complexion is pale, and he suspects that he's faring no better.

With the help of everybody else, Silas manages to get Dirsteh on his horse before mounting it himself. He holds her close to his chest, trying to ignore the way her warmth continues to leave her. With no time to waste, Silas spurs on his steed, praying to whatever gods may exist that they don't take Dirsteh away from him.

* * *

The castle is full of lighthearted laughter and chatter, everything seemingly at peace. Despite some of the others having gone out on a sortie to deal with Emblian forces, the Order of Heroes place a great deal of trust in their allies and Summoner. So when the doors suddenly swing open with a large bang of urgency, everybody stops with what they're doing. They turn their heads, curious, before their eyes widen when they see Silas standing there. His eyes are filled with sheer panic and fear, all the while holding Dirsteh, bloodied and wounded, close to him.

" _Help—" He manages to barely choke out. His voice trembles and cracks with his plead. "Please—!!"_

Everybody present immediately springs into action, dropping everything all at once. Heroes move aside to give Silas room to head towards the infirmary, some of them rushing to call upon any and all available healers and retrieve whatever items may be necessary to treat Dirsteh. They all move in a well-organized and co-ordinated fashion, no doubt a product of all the times they've battled alongside and helped each other.

The shocked healers usher in Silas and Dirsteh into the infirmary room, preparing a table for the injured woman. Silas sets her down, and he falters a bit as he takes a few steps back, the healers pushing their way in out of necessity to work on the wound as quickly as possible. Silas is frozen in place, a distraught look on his face as he watches the other Heroes surround Dirsteh who looks so much more paler now compared to before.

"Silas," Priscilla speaks up, calling the knight's name and snapping his attention back to reality before his thoughts can spiral downwards. He gasps and forces himself to tear his gaze away from Dirsteh's face. Priscilla's expression is sympathetic, and she places a gentle hand upon his arm. "We need you to leave the room and give us space so that we can concentrate," she tells him.

The young man shakes his head. "But—"

Whatever argument he had is cut off short as Priscilla gives him a careful tug towards the door. "It'll be okay," she tries to reassure him, making sure to keep her features calm and composed to hopefully give him some peace of mind. "We'll do everything we can to help her. We won't let anything bad happen to her, so please trust us."

"I..." Silas starts, wanting to try to convince Priscilla to let him stay so that he can watch over Dirsteh and make sure that she makes it through okay, but the words die in his throat. He presses his lips together in a firm line before giving a curt nod. "...Alright. I'm placing her in your capable hands."

"Everything will be okay," Priscilla repeats as she guides the reluctant knight to leave the room. "I promise."

Silas can only nod silently in acknowledgement and take the woman's words to heart. Priscilla flashes him another small smile before closing the door behind her. Now left all alone waiting outside the infirmary with nothing but his thoughts, Silas begins to go over the events that just transpired. _It was his fault_ , he thinks to himself. Dirsteh wouldn't have gotten hurt if he had just been stronger. If he had just been faster at reacting. _He failed her_ , he realizes.

A shaky breath leaves him at the thought, his back hitting the wall before sliding down to the floor. His mind and heart are a mess right now, and he feels dizzy. He keeps on replaying the same scene over and over and _over_ again in his mind, and it makes his somatch twist and turn. He looks down at himself, only just now realizing that Dirsteh's blood is still on him. It's probably best if he goes to clean himself up, but he doesn't want to leave his spot. What if something happens? He wants to be there the moment it does.

The young knight exhales a deep breath, bringing his knees up to his chest and burying his face between them. The adrenaline is slowly starting to leave him, replaced instead with nothing but fatigue and exhaustion. Silas feels so weak. He should have been there for her. He should have stopped her. He should have been the one to take the hit, not her. What kind of knight was he if he failed to protect the one person he loves?

Silas falls deeper and deeper into his self-deprecating thoughts, almost to the point that they overwhelm and consume him, when he hears the door click open. He snaps his head upwards, his eyelids heavy. How long has it been? His sense of time is completely messed up.

Priscilla appears at the entryway, wearing a relieved smile on her face. That's certainly a good sign. "She's no longer in critical condition," she informs him, knowing that he would prefer if she went straight to the point. Silas' shoulders immediately relax. "That being said, she will still need to undergo heavy treatment for quite some time."

"Would it be okay if I stayed by her side?" Silas asks, hopeful.

The woman nods her head. "Yes, of course. If you'd like, you can even come and see her now."

Silas shakily stands back up on his feet and makes his way inside. Dirsteh was moved to a bed, her complexion still not at its best, but it's definitely than it was before. He remembers to thank all of the healers for their efforts, and they all nod before leaving him alone with the Summoner.

* * *

A few days have passed since that whole ordeal. Even though Dirsteh's life is no longer in danger, she still remains unconscious and has yet to wake up. Silas has remained by her side since then, only leaving her if and when absolutely necessary. Despite the Summoner being out of commission, the Order of Heroes continues to function as it normally would. Silas can't help but feel guilty for not participating in the battles or other miscellaneous tasks around the castle, but both Alfonse and Anna had assured him that they had everything under control and that he should just focus on looking after Dirsteh.

As per usual, Silas sits at Dirsteh's bedside, his hands balled into fists upon his lap. He continues to stare at Dirsteh's face, relieved that she doesn't look to be in pain, but is at the same time troubled that it's been a while since she last opened her eyes. It's during quiet moments like these that his thoughts start to drift and wander. His heart becomes heavy once more, a sense of self-consciousness tugging at the back of his mind when suddenly, he notices Dirsteh stir.

Silas' breath catches in his throat, and he finds himself overcome with all sorts of emotions. Dirsteh wakes up, groaning softly as her eyelids slowly flutter open. Silas releases the breath he was holding, relief washing over him. It's been so long since he's last seen her eyes. He's missed them so, so much.

Dirsteh appears dazed, her features twisted in slight confusion as the world comes back into focus for her. Her eyes glance around the room, taking note of her surroundings before her gaze locks with Silas'. His eyes are wet with unshed tears, and he forces himself to speak. "How are you feeling?" He asks, his hand instinctively reaching out to hold her own. It's warm in his grasp, and he gives it a slight squeeze.

"Sore and exhausted," Dirsteh answers before quickly changing the subject. "What happened...?"

Silas' expression falls, his lips tugging into a slight frown as he remembers his failure and shortcomings. He explains everything that's happened since that particular battle and catches her up to everything that has happened within the Order. Dirsteh listens with her full, undivided attention, her face slowly turning to mirror that of the knight's.

"...I'm sorry..." is the first thing she says the moment Silas is done talking.

His frown deepens, furrowing his brows as he furiously shakes his head from side to side. "You have nothing to apologize for," he insists, hoping to ease her concerns, but in doing so, falls into the trap of feeling guilt and shame. "...The blame lies with me."

"No, not at all," Dirsteh argues. "It's my fault for being reckless and just jumping straight in."

"No, it's _my_ fault," Silas shoots back, sounding a bit harsher than intended. "If I was just stronger, then this wouldn't have happened!"

The two of them go back and forth, each equally trying to pin the blame on themselves. Perhaps it's because of the stress of the whole situation, but they aren't watching their volume and tone. Usually, the two of them would be much more subdued, but right now, they're emotional and unable to control their feelings. They continue to raise their voices, only to end up becoming entangled in a small argument.

"Like I said, I should have—!!" Dirsteh is unable to finish her sentence, letting out a small hiss as she winces in pain.

The argument that they were having stops at once, and Silas immediately stands from his seat, leaning closer towards Dirsteh. He's fussing over her, asking if she's alright and making a big deal of what was just a sharp but quick pang. Seeing Silas so worried over her, Dirsteh can't help but feel a bit guilty for raising her voice at him. He... truly cares for her.

"Sorry..." she apologizes with a smaller voice.

"No, I'm sorry, too..."

They both apologize meekly to one another for getting so riled up, and they each give the other a forgiving smile. They're quick to put their argument behind them, understanding that they're just worried and care for one another which is why they don't want to see the other beating themselves up over this.

"I..." Silas is the first to speak up again, his words coming out slowly but resolutely. "I promise to become stronger so that nothing like this will happen ever again. I promise to become stronger than ever for your sake."

Dirsteh flashes him a melancholic smile. "You aren't alone," she reminds him. She moves to grab his hand and interlock their fingers together. "While we were arguing with each other, I was thinking... How do you feel about the idea of changing your training sessions so that you can become more resistant to magic?"

Silas nods his head, taking up the Summoner's suggestion without a second thought. "Sounds good."

"Great!" Dirsteh beams. "In that case, I'll get back to work right now and start helping you train."

"Absolutely not!" The knight reprimands her, temporarily letting go of the woman's hand so that he can gently but firmly grab her shoulders and stop her from getting up. Although he's happy to see Dirsteh so eager to get back into the flow of things and to have things back to normal, she still hasn't fully recovered. She needs to rest, first and foremost.

"We can get to that later," he insists. "For now, just focus on getting better and let me be selfish and look after you for just a bit longer..."

Dirsteh's cheeks become alight with embarrassment, but joy dances behind her eyes. She can't help but giggle and agree to his request. She supposes it's fine to let herself be spoiled by him after everything that's happened.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](https://avistella.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/xAvistella)!


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